Exercise Helps Fight Osteoporosis

A physical exercise programme was found to help women suffering from postmenopausal osteoporosis, say researchers.

Montserrat Otero, a PhD holder in Physical Activity and Sports Sciences of the UPV/EHU-University of the Basque Country studied 68 women with postmenopausal osteoporosis of the age group 50 - 72, of whom 34 were randomly assigned to the Exercise Group and 34 to the Control Group.

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The participants in the Exercise Group followed a supervised programme of physical exercise involving strength and balance training, which lasted six months in which there were 72 sessions each lasting 60 minutes, in which between 5 and 8 balance exercises and between 8 and 12 strength exercises were done per session.

The Control Group did not take part in the programme of physical exercise, although they did do the strength and balance tests beforehand and afterwards.

At the start of the programme there were no significant differences in the two groups in any of the variables.

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However, following the intervention, the strength of the upper and lower limbs of the groups was markedly different.

Otero said that those in the Exercise Group improved their performance in muscular strength of the upper and lower limbs, while those in the Control Group worsened in both variables.

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With respect to the balance variable, the Exercise Group had a significant improvement after the intervention.

Otero concluded that a programme of physical exercise based on low-intensity strength exercises and exercises involving static and dynamic balance, carried out three days per week in one-hour sessions over a 6-month period, leads to significant improvements in muscular strength in the upper and lower limbs and in static and dynamic balance in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis.

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Otero added that is why if there is no access to sophisticated equipment due to the economic cost involved, even without it, the risk factors of the main consequence of the disease can be reduced.

Source-ANI